The first few times you see these gorgeous - somewhat slightly walking-challenged animals, you are blown away by how adorable they are and there is no denying it - **THEY ARE ADORABLE!!!** However, the 1,000th time you see these cute, little "drunken-stumbling" animals on land - you don't quite have the same high you had during your first time round.  **I am not saying I don't like penguins** - *BUT unless you have smelt them for as long as I have, so long in fact that all of your clothes themselves now smell like penguin guano.* I simply do not have the same amazing initial excitement I originally had a few months prior.  However, I still do smile when I reminisce.  As I flick through photos of my encounters at various penguin breeding colonies memories flood my mind.  

You can also easily watch them stumble over themselves,  fall over rocks and one another for hours on end- it's basically like watching a soap opera.

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Throughout the season down in Antarctica, you see the life of penguins go through their different cycles.  During the start of the summer Antarctic season the breeding penguin colonies (November) are typically just arriving and some are already on their eggs.

![IMG_2152.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRJKfLu7Wbdbg1j4jTLKe8YyF5ovyzBrMFdSVhPnSSJQV/IMG_2152.jpg)
*A cute Adelie penguin on their egg, awaiting for the little one to hatch. *

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A little bit later on.. as mid-december arrives eggs begin to hatch and the era of baby penguins and their cuteness is upon us on the Antarctic peninsula.

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![IMG_4694.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTEUVcLdzjLY5UryafnjLBUCQmABrjkBnVQP7LZHGBGNB/IMG_4694.jpg)
*Two Gentoo baby penguins under the watchful eye of their parent.*
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The one somewhat sad and negative thing that does frequently occur at penguin breeding colonies is the presence of predators.  The main one you always see circling high in the sky above the flightless birds is the **Skua.**  These birds, the Skua, get bit of a bad rap, as they are known as the villains in the penguin world.  Their food source is penguin eggs and baby penguins... *I know* - **How dare they?!?!?**

Remember this though - they also have babies to feed and birds gotta eat... This is how the natural world works, with a very beautiful balance between predator and prey.  This relationship has been functioning for 10,000s of thousands of years around the world in all ecosystems, both marine and terrestrial.

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![IMG_5160-2.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmc9DFcBuEK4ffYk2UgEwCm5ZJJaYkYQ6Fp7xvn1E1gRuj/IMG_5160-2.jpg)
*South Polar Skua standing near its nest on Cuverville Island on the Antarctic Peninsula.*
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Regardless, of the smell and noise that 10,000's of penguins creates in a small space.  Their cuteness is overwhelming and melts the heart of the toughest person.  My advice is buy a ticket, pack your bag and head to one of the most remote and beautiful places that remains on this planet.  Antarctica.


Thanks for reading & all of your support.

For more stories and photos check out my Instagram feed: https://www.instagram.com/thomas_mitchell2912/